NEW DELHI: India on Thursday said it will renew its request to Canada in 2023 to extradite Khalistani radical and designated terrorist Arsh Singh Gill alias Arsh Dalla, following reports of his arrest in that country.

Dalla is among more than two dozen criminals and terrorists for whom India has submitted extradition requests to Canada. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that since November 10 there had been media reports of the arrest in Canada of Dalla, a self-proclaimed fugitive or fugitive and the de facto head of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).

“Canadian print and visual media reported widely on the arrest. We understand that the Ontario court has listed the case for hearing,” Jaiswal said.

“Given the recent arrest, our agencies will be pursuing an extradition request. Given Arsh Dalla’s criminal record in India and his involvement in similar illegal activities in Canada, he is expected to be extradited or deported to face justice in India,” he said.

Jaiswal described Dalla as a fugitive in more than 50 cases of murder, attempted murder, extortion and terrorist acts, including terror financing. In May 2022, Interpol issued a Red Notice for him.

Dalla was designated by India as a terrorist in 2023. In July 2023, the Indian government asked the Canadian government for his provisional arrest. “This was refused. Additional information has been provided in this case,” Jaiswal said.

A separate request was sent to Canada under the bilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty to verify Dalla’s suspected residential address, his financial transactions in India, movable and immovable properties and mobile phone number details. Information on all these matters was provided to the Canadian authorities in January 2023.

In December 2023, Canada’s justice department sought additional information about Dalla’s case. “An answer to these questions was sent in March this year,” Jaiswal said.

India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) said Dalla fled India to Canada, where he came into contact with Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead by unidentified men in June 2023 in the city of Surrey. Nijjar was then the head of KTF and the duo recruited youths and formed terror gangs to carry out extortion to raise funds for KT, according to the NIA.

In January 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs declared Dalla an “individual terrorist” under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Hailing from Dala village in Punjab’s Moga district, Dalla was believed to be operating out of British Columbia. He is wanted by both the Punjab Police and the NIA, which has offered a reward ₹10 lakh for him.